The security company Comodo took the core functionality provided by Firefox, made a few enhancements to the browser’s speed and safety, and ended up with IceDragon, a browser that offers the core functionality you would expect from Firefox but boosts its speed and the level of protection you get while surfing the web. So if you want a safer, speedier Firefox version, go ahead and give Comodo IceDragon a try.

The system requirements for running IceDragon are quite low: 128MB of RAM memory or more, 40MB of free disk space, 32 or 64-bit edition of Windows XP, Vista, or 7. The setup wizard that will help you install IceDragon on your Windows-powered PC will ask you to choose between a regular and a portable installation, to select the components that will be imported from your default browser (history, cookies, favorites, passwords), and to use Comodo SecureDNS servers (free service that provides you with a safer, smarter, faster internet).

When you launch IceDragon for the first time, it will open two tabs on its interface: comodo.com and yahoo.com (because Yahoo! is set as the default homepage and the default search engine). You will immediately feel at home with IceDragon’s interface, especially if you are a Firefox fan.

As mentioned above, IceDragon is a Firefox-based browser; it offers the core functionality you would expect from Firefox. But Comodo tweaked and enhanced the core Firefox functionality, adding the following: SiteInspector malware scanning technology (checks to see if a webpage is malicious), Comodo SecureDNS servers protect against harmful websites and help webpages load faster, social integration so you can easily share anything you want on Facebook and other social networks, various under-the-hood privacy and performance improvements.

IceDragon is offered to Windows users for free.

Firefox fans who care about safety and privacy are very well advised to give IceDragon a try. It’s just as easy to use and versatile as Firefox, just that it has been tweaked with security in mind.

Pros The system requirements for running IceDragon are quite low; installing the application is a very simple process. You can choose between a regular and a portable installation. Firefox users will immediately feel at home with IceDragon’s interface. You get Firefox’s core functionality and a few nice safety and speed enhancements. Social integration so you can easily share anything you want. IceDragon is freeware.